Question

Bibi ka Maqbara was erected by _____ at Aurangabad and is a replica of the Taj Mahal.
(a) Jahangir
(b) Bahadur Shah Zafar
(c) Aurangzeb
(d) Shah Jahan

Answer 1

Hint:
Bibi ka Maqbara was erected in the memory of Dilras Banu Begum, who was the first wife of Mughal King, Aurangzeb. In 1660, Emperor Aurangzeb commissioned the building, known as the 'Taj of the Deccan' because of its striking similarity to the Taj Mahal.

Complete step by step solution:
Dilras was born as a princess of the Safavid Dynasty. She married Aurangzeb and gave birth to 5 children. After giving birth to her fifth child, Muhammad Akbar, Dilras Banu Begum suffered from puerperal fever due to complications caused by childbirth and died a month after the birth of her son, in 1657. In 1660, Aurangzeb commissioned the mausoleum at Aurangabad to serve as the final resting place of Dilras, known as the Bibi Ka Maqbara ("Tomb of the Lady"). Here, Dilras was buried under the posthumous title 'Rabia-ud-Daurani' ("Rabia of the Age").

The tomb was built in 1661 AD at a cost of about rupees 6.6 lakhs, though Aurangzeb gave 7 lakhs for it. Ataullah designed the monument while Hanspat rai was the engineer, according to inscriptions at the entrance.

Bibi ka Maqbara is also known as the ‘Taj of the Deccan’ because of its striking resemblance with the Taj Mahal in Agra. The domes, minarets and the screen inside the monuments are built with marble.A region of 15000 square feet covers the impeccably built Bibi Ka Maqbara and stands in the midst of a quadrilateral Char Bagh garden, enclosed by a gigantic enclosure.


Hence, the correct answer is option C.

Note:
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has come up with the decision of conserving the monument scientifically, in the start of this year. The initiative is to cost around 45 lakhs.